
Why are white South Africans going to the US as refugees?
As dozens of Afrikaners started settling into their new lives in the US this week after controversially being granted refugee status by the Trump administration, some of their brethren in South Africa were still hoping they would get to go.
Fifty-nine white South African Afrikaners — the descendants of mainly Dutch colonists — flew to Washington on Monday and are now being resettled in states across the country. About 8,000 more are reported to have applied, though it is still unclear whether more groups will be able to make the move.
Zenia Pretorius, an Afrikaners farmer's wife and mother of three, was among those eager to leave South Africa behind.
'On the day Trump made the offer … it felt like a miracle had been
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BBC News
17 minutes ago
- BBC News
US Navy to rename USNS Harvey Milk, named after gay rights leader
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Reuters
17 minutes ago
- Reuters
Vanguard new ex-China ETF followed push from Missouri Republicans
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The Independent
17 minutes ago
- The Independent
AP PHOTOS: Indian Premier League cricket reaches the final
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